Somewhere With You
by NewName.NewGame.Stillme2482
Summary: My first song-fic. Song is by Kenny Chesney, no copy right infringement intended. Damon and Elena's inner struggle seems to come to a head. Spoilers from last weeks episode. Probably a one shot.


**"Somewhere With You"**

The Grill was pretty occupied on this particular Tuesday night. It was filled with the students soaking up the last of their summer vacation. The same students who were visibly restless due their unfulfilled legacy of Senior Prank night. From what Elena had told him, Klaus had played the teacher busting them in the act and sending mostly everyone home, aside from a few casualties.

Damon could feel their tension, it was definitely adding to his own. The look in Elena's eyes had stuck with him.

"Where were you Damon?" she had whispered, her voice barely carrying the words. The guilt he felt in that moment had the fatality of 50 stakes. It didn't seem to matter how many times he promised to never let her get hurt, it always seemed to take place at the opportune moment, the second he turned his back.

"I promise you. I will never leave you again." It seemed to be all the response either of them needed. The previous petty fight had been forgotten. He had taken her to Caroline's once he explained that he was requesting a much-needed break of the remainder of the evening. Both women seemed to understand and left him to his half empty bottle of bourbon. He had spent every moment with Elena possible since that night. Caroline and Bonnie watched her during the school day but she never felt safe at night so he had taken to sleeping on her floor.

Stefan coming and going from the Boarding House as he pleased had really put her on edge so neither of them had spent much time at her pseudo-safe house since his return. The two days had gone like clock work but Elena had obviously had enough of the monotony. With her Barbie wingman in place, she was socializing with a group of peers on the other side of the room from him.

He pretended to not notice that the group was mostly male. He could tell she was making an honest effort to flirt, to act her age, to find a warm body to take comfort in. That didn't nullify the fact that she had been saying his name in her sleep every night.

If you're going out with someone new

I'm going out with someone too

I won't feel sorry for me, I'm getting drunk

But I'd much rather be somewhere with you

The truth of the matter was, he missed her. He missed being her friend. He had spent the time since Stefan reappeared being her bodyguard and even thought that job title was not new on his resume, he still felt like he had been demoted. Had he finally pushed her away when he had left with Katherine? Did she finally realize the severity of the task she had been taking on when rooting his humanity in place? Was his chance really completely over?

Laughing loud on a carnival ride, yeah

Driving around on a Saturday night

You made fun of me for singing my song

Got a hotel room just to turn you on

It was times like this that he wished they could go back to Georgia. That weekend had defined their relationship. He knew that was the moment she had decided there was something more to him then the persona. She had saved him that weekend in more ways than one. He wanted to replay their time together. He needed to know if he could have changed the situation by acting differently then. He already knew that falling love with her was inevitable.

While sitting at the bar, he slyly looked over his shoulder back to the group of boys fawning over her. Yep, that's what he thought: The entire male population of Mystic Falls High School was one roll in the hay away from falling as deep as he did after the first conversation. But Damon knew he was her protector. A job he had screwed up on countless occasions, but this time he was going to get it right. He would go to the ends of the earth for her. Just as Katherine had pointed out, the Damon she knew would never have been "that stupid" as she had called it. He knew he had paused for dramatic effect to deliver the one liner that sealed Katherine's metaphorical tomb. "I wouldn't have done it for you". While he had died for Katherine he never would have walked into the face of true death for her, but he had for Elena and would continue to until she was safe.

You said pick me up at three a.m.

You're fighting with your mom again

And I'd go, I'd go, I'd go somewhere with you

The nights he had spent on her floor listening to her sleep had been the closest to a religious experience, as he knew he was capable of. Her breathing was even and it kept him hypnotized. It was the dead of night and he was seconds away from succumbing to sleep when he heard her whisper. His name was the only word he could make out of her murmuring, but it was in the form of a sigh so he figured that was a good sign.

In the bar alone his mind kept playing her sigh in his mind. It was nights like this that he really missed Andie. She had been the perfect distraction, the one person that would accept all of the frustration he exuded and put it to good use. But while her distracting skills were top notch there was always one problem, she wasn't Elena.

He placed a large bill on the bar and quickly walked out into the night air. He felt Elena's eyes on him during his journey through the crowd and out the door. Her heart had sped up when he walked to the door. He was so in tune to her that he could pick her heartbeat out of a crowd of hundreds. She was panicking. She was worried he wouldn't come tonight. She was afraid of being alone.

I won't sit outside your house

And wait for the lights to go out

Call up an ex to rescue me, climb in their bed

When I'd much rather sleep somewhere with you

He took off at top speed through the town towards the Boarding House. Worrying about her was a constant state but he needed a break. Loving her had come natural, protecting her was the job he would do until his last unneeded breath, but watching her flirt with the intention of taking someone home was not something he could stomach.

They both knew he would end up back on her floor before her bedroom light went out for the night but until then he needed to take the edge off. While the alcohol could numb him there were only a few things that could calm him. Once in his room he stripped of his clothes and turned up the heat in his shower. He needed it to burn. He hissed at the initial contact but relaxed into it quickly. As if the external pain has caused a mental reel of emotion pain, his brain turned on him. He can see every time they had shared together. Every time he had pushed her away, caused her pain or tried to be her savior played like a movie. He was so focused on the internal movie showing that he didn't hear her until she had opened his bedroom door.

Like we did on the beach last summer

When the rain came down and we took cover

Down in your car, out by the pier

You laid me down, whispered in my ear

They were both alert as the shower was quickly turned off and he walked back into the bedroom with a towel around his waist.

"I thought we had the conversation about knocking Elena," he murmured. He could practically hear the blood rushing to her face with an intense blush.

She huffed a breath, an "I'm sorry" making its way through her lips before she could stop it. He smirked at her over his shoulder.

"And what exactly are you sorry for this time?" he could swear that she apologized enough for the both of them.

She slowly sat on the edge of his bed. This was the closest she had been to his bed since the night the venom had almost removed him from her world.

"I'm sorry that you feel so obligated to protect me. I'm sorry that you have felt so responsible that you show up every night to sleep on my floor just so I will feel safe. I know you promised to never leave me again but I'm sorry my fear has made the promise so literal" she rushed to explain.

Before she could blink he was standing in front of her wearing a pair of sweats and a dark blue t-shirt.

He gave her a small smile. The urge to stroke her cheek was almost too much to bare. "If you honestly think that being there every night is strictly for your peace of mind then you obviously haven't been paying attention Elena." She reciprocated his smile at his words.

Then his first surprise came. She removed her sweatshirt and he finally noticed that she was wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top.

"So as a thank you for protecting me I figured we could relocate so you would be more comfortable" with that explanation he noticed that she had created a make shift bed for herself on the floor on the unused side of the bed. Now this was childish and ridiculous in comparison to the king sized bed in the middle of the room. But fine, if this was the way she wanted to play the game then he would go with it. This was when they both seemed to realize how late it was. The urge to sleep had been tugging Damon towards his bed for most of the day. Elena had complicated the situation by arriving when she did but he wasn't going to focus on how uncomfortable the situation could be. They made their way to there designated sleeping arrangements and he hit the lights with a murmured "good night Elena".

I hate my life, hold on to me

Ah, if you ever decide to leave

Then I'll go, I'll go, I'll go

In the safety of the dark they both relaxed into the beginnings of sleep. They tried to ignore the buzz in the room that existed strictly because they were Damon and Elena. She was the one to give in. She had to be the one to give in. He heard her rise from her bed replica and pad over to the bed before climbing in with him. He expected her to crawl herself to the farthest corner of the bed. He did not expect her to roll into him and lay her head on the pillow right next to him. Her cheek rested on his shoulder blade and he felt her breath on his chest. His shirt had been shed the second the lights went off, so she obviously was not expecting the skin-to-skin contact. Then her hand rested on his chest. This was when he snapped. He was up out of the bed with the lights on before a word could be uttered.

"What are you doing Elena?" he asked as he paced the length of the bed. She rose but did not remove herself from the bed.

Once again her reaction was immediate, "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He huffed, "Okay, lets pretend for a second that that means something. What are you doing? I thought we already realized that I am not Stefan. That Stefan isn't even Stefan anymore. I figured that's why you were on the prowl earlier but lets get one thing clear Elena, I will not be the warm body you settle for" he vented.

"Settle for? Seriously? I have never been that person Damon. I'm here right now in your bed because I want to be. Because I have never felt safer then I do knowing you are close. I'm here because sleeping in the same room as you every night has been slowly driving me crazy. I want more than anything to seek comfort from you, to give comfort back. I am realizing that I need you and it scares me but I am not going to fight it anymore" her frustration forced her honesty. He stood still just staring back at her. He wasn't sure what to make of her confession.

I can go out every night of the week

Can go home with anybody I meet

But it's just a temporary high 'cause when I close my eyes

I'm somewhere with you, somewhere with you

"I don't know what you want me to say Elena. You already know I'm in love with you. Which means you also know that climbing in my bed for temporary comfort is just not enough. I won't do this to myself. I can't have you there with me in my arms all night long and accept the fact that you don't really want me. I can't have a piece of you" he turned from her, the explanation going mostly to the wall.

She moved up and out of the bed, a determined look visibly on her face. She stood in front of him, her eyes completely locked with his.

"I want to give you so much more than a piece of me. Please don't push me away. Let me fall in love with you" she implored. Both of there eyes seemed to reflect the others hopes, dreams and worries in that moment. Without another word she reached up and threaded her hands into his hair. Her lips brushed against his so softly, the hesitance was ever present. Every pent up emotion they had broke loose at the moment and the hesitance disappeared. He moved one hand into her chocolate brown hair and the other to her hip as his lips moved forcefully onto hers. She let his forceful grip on her hip pull her flush against his body as her mouth opened in acceptance of all of him. She moaned into his dominating kiss as his tongue stroked a response out of hers.

He lifted her by her hips and her legs wound around his waist. He pushed he back up against the wall and fell even further into her kiss. It was everything they had dreamed it would be and it had just began. He pulled back from the kiss, his forehead resting against hers as the gasped for air.

"You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that," he murmured with a small smirk. Her chest was heaving and it was pushing her breasts against him. She smiled at him, her eyes locking with his. Hot molten brown on ice blue.

"Then why are you stopping?" she asked once her panting had slowed. His gaze was the doing amazing things to her. She had never felt sexier, more like a woman then she did when he looked at her like that.

If you see me out on the town

And it looks like I'm burning it down

You won't ask and I won't say

But in my heart I'm always somewhere with you

Her question had caused an immediate reaction, his eyes closed, cutting off the connection they had created. He was trying to hide his venerability.

"Because I don't trust myself with you. I have never felt what I feel with you. You terrify me" his confession had left her speechless. Elena had known that he loved her but she had no idea it was this deep. That he was this deep.

This was when she realized that there was no going back from this. If they continued in this direction, there would never be another for either of them. There would be a constant, distracting, craving. He would find no more distractions. She would never find comfort in Stefan, whether they reversed his compulsion. The damage would be forever done. They would ruin sex, ruin love, with someone else for eternity. It was like making the decision to be a drug addict with the needled sitting there waiting for you. The promise of the high staring you in the face in all its glory.

"I know what you mean. I've never felt this before either. But you've never scared me" she whispered and moved to kiss him again. This was not the answer he was looking for. He needed to know she wouldn't be gone in the morning. He needed to know this was real.

This was Damon's defining moment. He could take this for what it was, take her for what she was offering. Or he could do the opposite of what there bodies were screaming for, and wait for her to be sure.

I can go out every night of the week

Can go home with anybody I meet

But it's just a temporary high 'cause when I close my eyes

I'm somewhere with you, somewhere with you

"We can't do this Elena" he spoke before his mind was finished with the decision. That was when all hell broke loose. She pushed him off of her. The look of hurt ever present on her face. The tears she could no longer control trailing down her cheeks.

Without another word she pushed to the door not sparing him a second glance. But it was no use, he was always faster. She was up against the closed door, her chest pushing into the door and her back pushed into his chest before she has reached for the doorknob.

She sobbed once, "Just let me go Damon. You won okay. You got me to believe that you loved me, that you wanted me. Its all about the chase, I get it now just let me go". He snorted in her ear.

"Okay, stop thinking with your embarrassment Elena" he started while he turned her over to face him. His body pushed back into her the second she situated.

She gasped when she felt his obvious arousal. "Do you honestly think I don't want you? That I don't love you with everything I am? Because if you so then you are free to go. But if you don't then you are going to stop fighting to leave when I move you away from the door." She nodded and he moved them to the other side of the room, a foot between them.

"I've had enough Elena. Enough distractions, enough endless nights at the Grill drinking and pretending to not think about you. I've had enough of being just your friend or just your body guard. If your gonna let me in then you have to completely let me in" he explained.

She smiled from her safe distance away, "Well that irony isn't it? You want me to let you in? What have I been asking you for since you got here?"

He smirked, "You wanna know the difference Elena? I haven't been fighting how I feel for quite awhile now and you're the one here that can't seem to make a decision. So what's it gonna be? I'm I gonna get a real chance or are you just gonna slip into my bed on the nights you feel lonely?"

She wanted to fight back. Tell him how wrong he was. But she knew what it looked like. She had lost Stefan, now she was trying to keep him with her the only way she knew how. She knew that wasn't the case, but he obviously didn't. Once again she was the one to advance on him.

"Damon, you've always had a real chance. Even when I didn't want to give you one" she explained as her hand traveled up his chest into his hair. Without another word he lifted her up and placed her back in his bed. His arms wrapped around her and her head on his chest. All either of them could think about was how right it felt. They knew they had plenty more they needed to discuss but for right now they were content being right where they knew they belonged.

Somewhere with you

I'm somewhere with you

I'm somewhere with you

Somewhere with you

Somewhere with you


End file.
